Thoughts and Dreams
by SailorKMoonie
Summary: The Little Mermaid. Ariel looks back on a memory of a chance meeting. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Thoughts and Dreams**

**This is a brief look into Ariel's head when she's in The Grotto. Some memories, that were lost, reappear.**

**I didn't think of The Little Mermaid. All characters and names belong to Hans Christian Anderson and the Disney cooperation. **

_'Yelling, that's all I ever hear these days' _she thought. Despite her father's wishes, her mind was always filled with the wonderful thought of humans. _'If only he could understand'_

Her mind drifted and eventually her thoughts came upon an old memory of when she was just a mer-girl of 13. She smiled at the memories.

XOXO

At the age of 13, each mer-girl and mer-boy was finally allowed to wander freely from Atlantica without any chaperones or watchers. Her teacher stood with her and her fellow 13 yr old friends at the gate.

"Now" she said "You are about to embark on what may or may not be a great adventure. Some will travel far, others will stay close. But this is a great responsibility and if you slip up the privilege will be taken away." She looked to each teen in turn and gave one long look to Ariel. Mrs. Tula knew that out of all her students, Ariel would travel the farthest, and being a princess, this was never a good thing. So with a sigh she turned to the side and held out her arm past the gate.

The water was filled with bubbles as the class took off with Ariel at the head. Mrs. Tula gave another sigh. "I pray to Neptune that she comes back alright."

Meanwhile Ariel sped off to a rock out cropping where she soon met up with Flounder. "Isn't this great Flounder?! No grown-ups, no babysitters; just you and me swimming in the sea."

"He he, yeah, great." He agreed nervously.

Ariel smiled as a thought came to her. She had been pouring over maps the night before and realized that Atlantica wasn't far from land. Humans had always fascinated her and she'd finally get a chance to see one. She quickly tied her hair back; it was much easier to swim with it out of the way. And soon she was guiding Flounder up to the continental shelf. The water seemed to fly past them and Flounder always kept close to stay within her slip-stream. Soon, they could both see where ocean ended and land began.

Finding handholds, Ariel dragged herself up out of the water and onto a rock that jutted above the water. It took her a moment to get used to air breathing. She peeked around the face of the rock to gaze at the thin strip of beach in front of the looming castle. Her eyes zoomed around trying to burn every sight into her memory. Her vision came back to the beach and she gasped as she saw for the first time…A human!

He, (she assumed he was a he by the fact that he had a flat chest and short black hair) was walking along the beach with a…small furry thing following him. Her face was puzzled, this human was small and according to her research, humans were supposed to be bigger.

Then her mind clicked and she smiled '_he must be a kid, like me…15 maybe' _He lifted something to his lips and she strained to hear him. Suddenly her ears were filled with a melody she'd never heard before. He was blowing into a shiny stick…a flute? The ones in Atlantica were different but sounded almost the same. She closed her eyes and listened to the music in the air. Without knowing it, she started to sing along to the tune.

The flute stopped and she opened her eyes. Only to see him staring right at her! She quickly hid behind the rock, her breath became labored and she could feel her heartbeat in her ears.

"Hello?" he called. His eyes and ears told him that he wasn't alone. He raised the flute to his lips again and began to play. '_Maybe if I play, it'll sing again' _he thought.

The melody filled the air again. Both her breath and heart immediately calmed down. Meanwhile her thoughts raced. _'Should I sing?' _she asked herself _'As long as he doesn't see me.' _Her mind reasoned. She opened her mouth and once again sang to the beautiful music.

For a while they both enjoyed the others music filling the air between them; both just enjoying the peace they both yearned for. When the song ended, the human called out to her. "My name is Eric." He paused as if waiting for her to reply.

She hesitated before raising her head above the top of the rock. "My name's Ariel." She responded. Below her, Flounder gasped and pulled at her tail. She shook him off and glared at him before looking back at Eric.

"You sing beautifully." He complimented calmly but inside, his thoughts raced. _'She speaks so informally to me, she must not know I'm the prince, therefore she must not be from around here.' _From the beach he could only see the waves of red hair around her face. He squinted trying to get a better look but no matter how hard he tried, she wouldn't come into focus. "Why don't you come closer?"

"I would if I could" she answered. "But thank you for the compliment, you play very well also. What's the song called?" _Maybe I can distract him. _

He looked down at the flute; he always loved playing it and often got the impression that if he wasn't prince his friends would mock him for playing such a girlish instrument.

"Thanks, and I haven't named the song yet." He realized she was trying to distract him. "Why are you sitting out there?" he asked.

Ariel's mind raced trying to think of a good answer. "Just a good place to think, or so I thought. Now I guess I'll have to find another setting." She started to slide back down into the water when he called again.

"No! Wait!" he said "Don't go, maybe I could come out there." He suggested and began to wade into the waters. (With the wall of rocks around the bay, he didn't have to worry about undertow)

"Stop!" she shouted.

His steps halted and confusion was written across his face. "What's wrong? Why can't I see you?" he asked.

She sighed. "Because….I can't tell you." She confessed.

He looked at her face. He could see her blue eyes now and could also see that deep "please" innocence that made him walk back to the shore.

"Thank you" she said softly. Just so he could hear her.

He smiled and raised the flute again. She began to sing along even adding some notes in when he paused for breath.

At the end of the song she looked up to see the sun starting to set. She gasped and sat up against the rock. For a quick moment Eric blushed because of her bare stomach and arms. But then she lowered herself back down so just her head was visible again. "I'm sorry but I must go." She explained. They both smiled sadly.

"Will I ever see you again?" he asked. Even though she was a girl, he admitted that he had enjoyed the time spent with her.

"I don't know." She answered truthfully. "Maybe tomorrow, maybe in a few years, maybe never. But it was nice meeting you, Eric; I do hope we meet again."

He smiled back. His eyes widened at a thought. "Oh here, something to remember me by in case we don't see each other again, he dug into his pocket and took out a pendant that showed his family's royal crest and had his name on the back. It was roughly the circumference of and orange and made of silver. He threw it to her, thinking he can have another one made.

She caught it and held it in her hands. "Thank you so much," she said with tears in her eyes. "I'll treasure it forever." They each gave one last wave to each other before she jumped into the water.

What she didn't hear was Eric's gasp. For when she leaped he caught a glimpse of her and almost feinted. The sun reflected the shining green scales on her tail before it disappeared into the water with her. "A real live mermaid." He said to himself. _'No one's ever going to believe this.' _He walked back up toward the castle, deciding to keep the meeting a secret until his death bed. _'A mad prince would never become king'_ were his thoughts.

XOXO

Meanwhile Flounder was giving Ariel a friendly lecture on deaf ears. Her thoughts were filled with Eric and the hope of the next time they would meet. She held the pendant in both hand even though the cord was securely around her neck. Then she realized something and came to an abrupt halt. Flounder almost didn't notice. He quickly swam back to where she floated. "What's wrong Ariel, we're almost home."

She took a shaky breath "Flounder, I think--I think I'm in love with him." She confessed.

"WHAT! Ariel you can't be, he's-he's and your, you!"

She sighed and started swimming again. "I know Flounder, forget I even said it." But her thoughts were different _'Maybe someday I'll see him again, and maybe someday I'll be like him.' _

As they came to the gates, Ariel saw with dread that her father was pacing from post to post in obvious worry. "Hi daddy." She called, quickly hiding the pendant in her hand

He turned at the sound of her voice and a mix of relief and anger came over his face. "Ariel! Do you know what time it is? I've been so worried about you. Where have you been? He hugged her quickly before dragging her back up to the castle.

"Sorry daddy, I guess I couldn't help but explore. And I didn't even notice the time." She explained

"Well, you did return safely and I know I can't stop you from exploring." He confessed. "Just please be careful, no going to the surface and be back by your bedtime." He bargained.

"Alright daddy, you win." She said _'What he doesn't know, won't give him a heart attack.' _She thought as she closed the door to her room. She looked at the pendant in her hands and eventually fell asleep with it right next to her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Another Meeting

Ariel awoke the next morning with the pendant still clasped in her hands. After eating a quick breakfast and kissing her father good-bye. She sped out of the gates with Flounder in tow. King Triton watched his youngest daughter speed off across the rocky bottom of the ocean. He stroked his beard in thought before one of his advisors called for his attention. He quickly dismissed all other thoughts of his young adventurous daughter thinking that she would be careful and had Flounder watching over her.

Meanwhile Flounder could only watch as Ariel climbed up on the rock again. "Why are you doing this Ariel?" he asked. "What if someone else sees us? Or he tells someone about us and you get captured?"

Ariel looked down at him with a smile. "He won't tell anyone. I can feel it." She assured him. She looked to the beach. "He's not here yet." She stated. _'I'm early' _she thought and rested her head across her arms in wait.

XOXO

Meanwhile, Eric stood at the window staring out at the window. He saw the glint of red and green that said that Ariel had already arrived. He longed to rush down to meet her, but unfortunately he was trapped in a session with his tutor.

"Prince Eric?" the teacher asked.

Eric tore his eyes away from the window to look at Prof. Nicholas, his tutor in History. "Yes sir?"

"You have been staring out that window for half an hour." He stated bluntly.

"Ugh, sorry professor. It's such a nice day outside. I guess I'm just having a hard time concentrating." He confessed.

His teacher nodded "Very well, you may go. Since I know I would probably get no further as it is." He smiled as Eric raced out of the room. Only stopping to grab his flute.

He ran down to the beach and waved to Ariel who eagerly waved back.

….For the next few hours they spent the time talking and playing music. Ariel was quick to pick up the tunes he played and even sang some of her tunes to him…..

Eric had just finished another one of his tunes. "So are you ever going to come closer?" he asked.

She laughed and sighed. "Sorry, my answer is still, no."

"Is it because you can't walk on land?" he asked carefully

She gasped. "How did you-?"

"I saw when you dived back into the water." He confessed. "So what's it like to live under the sea?"

"I have to go." She said quickly. Her eyes darted back to him, tears leaking onto her face, before giving a wave and disappearing beneath the sea foam.

"Wait," he called out. But she was already gone. He put his head into his hands. "What have I done?"

XOXO

Ariel sped home, barely waiting for Flounder to catch up behind her. She didn't even pay attention to where she was going. Her thoughts were filled with one fact. "He knows. He Knows. HE KNOWS!" She suddenly realized that she had come to rest in a grotto of sorts that flew high above her head with an opening to view the surface. In the middle was one lone rock, just big enough for her to lie across. She looked around gazing at the empty shelf looking spaces that went all the way to the ceiling.

She wiped the base of her palm against her cheek and winced. Whenever she touched her face it felt hot and irritated. And after brushing away the tears that floated in front of her, she told Flounder it was time to go home.

Slowly she took in her surroundings and found the current that led to Atlantica. She put on a mask of happiness and came up to say hello to her father. He brought up his hand to stroke her face. And when she winced in pain, his face became as red as hers. "You went to the surface!" he said as more of a statement than as an accusation.

"What?" she was confused as to how he knew.

"Your face is sun burnt; which only happens when you go to the surface!" He explained.

"Oh" she said guiltily. "I didn't see anything and no one saw me." She lied. _Thank Neptune that the sunburn hides my blush when I lie._

Triton paused while examining her again. "Ariel, you know how dangerous it is! And I trusted you!"

Ariel looked down at the floor "I know and I'm sorry Daddy."

He sighed. 'There's nothing we can do about it now, just put some seaweed cream on the burn and it should be gone within a few days." He paused, looking his daughter over. "Sebastian!" he called.

"Yes, your majesty." Sebastian swam forward to float next to Triton's shoulder.

"I want you to keep an eye on Ariel for me. Make sure she doesn't go to the surface. Is that clear?" he asked.

"Yes, your majesty." He replied.

Ariel gasped. But then she calmed herself; knowing that if she said anything else, she could never be allowed out of Atlantica again.

"Dismissed," Triton said. "I'll see you at dinner Ariel."

She nodded quickly, trying to keep the tears in. She quickly swam to her room and waited for Flounder to come in before slamming the door shut. She slid down the shell; finally letting the tears flow again. "Oh Flounder, I know I was scared that he knew, but I was going to go back, and now I'll never see him again!" she said through her sobs.

Flounder could only offer comfort in his presence. Then he went over to her dresser and came back with the pendant hanging from his nose. He let it fall into her lap.

She smiled through her tears. "Thanks Flounder." She hugged him with one arm while gazing at the circle of silver in her hand. Another wave of tears over came her and she eventually decided to skip dinner, telling the servant that she was tired from the days swim and only required sleep. She crawled into bed and held the pendant to her breast feeling the cold metal but also the comfort that Eric had offered her.

XOXO

The next morning Ariel sent Eric a message and present through Flounder.

Dear Eric,

I'm sorry, but it's been discovered that I came to the surface and as such cannot come to see you anymore. I hope you can remember me with this token. (Folded in the paper was a green scale of her tail) Please tell no one of me or my kind. I know I can trust you and I hope that someday we'll meet again. Maybe next time I'll be able to shake your hand. hehe. I know you're going to be a fine king someday Eric.

Wishing only the best, your friend,

Princess Ariel

Eric reread the letter before taking it and the scale back to the castle. While he was disappointed and saddened that she could not come for a while. He held a hope, like she did, of meeting her again someday. He stopped at the steps to his castle and took another look out into the sea imagining her fire red hair blowing in the wind, before he heard Grimsby calling for him. He quickly raced up the stairs and into the shadows of his home.

XOXO

When Ariel turned 14, she was again given the privilege to wander by herself, but she knew that Eric had duties and unlike her was to rule someday. She also knew that if she returned, she wouldn't be able to leave until she was red in the face again. So instead she surrounded herself with things that reminded her of him. Human trinkets and things she never knew the real name for. She would hide these treasures in the grotto she once took refuge in. She always kept the medallion in her room, believing it was too dangerous to wear openly and always wanted it near her when she slept.

XOXO

And now at the age of 16 her treasure trove was filled with the things she loved and the things that fascinated her. But still she yearned for more; she still wanted nothing more than to be part of his world.


End file.
